A portion of the above class reserved for majors
Above class COLL intensive writing section
Above class open to undergraduates only
The South before the Civil War was considered by many Americans to
be exotically different from other regions of the U.S. Sometimes
this difference was seen as attractive, with emphasis on the South’s
natural beauty and charming people. But with increasing urgency, as
more Americans were willing to criticize slavery, the South also was
seen as a dangerous, undemocratic, and immoral place. Mostly by
reading the words of Americans during the years 1820-1860, we will
explore the sharply different ideas about the South within the
nation, and we will look at how historians today view this era and
place.